Over the past several months, the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments (CWCOG) has been working with economic-development partners and local business leaders to develop a region-wide recovery plan and business-resiliency toolkit. These efforts are part of a larger recovery strategy undertaken at the direction of the Economic Development Administration. Recently released, the toolkit will be the focus of an upcoming series of informational and training events hosted in partnership with organizations around the region.

Designed to help businesses build more resilient practices, the toolkit encourages business owners to re-ask some fundamental questions about their business and re-evaluate the practices they employ in light of current economic conditions. It also aims to connect them with community-based organizations and services that can support them in their endeavors.

The agency will advertise and host a series of events to explore the toolkit’s potential uses with local businesses and will use those events to serve as an introduction to individual workshops for those interested.

The toolkit, a business resources document, information about the Economic Development District, and copies of the region’s past CEDS documents are available at http://www.cwcog.org. If interested in learning more about Economic Development Districts, or the CEDS process generally, visit the EDA’s site at http://www.eda.gov/edd.

If you would like to speak to someone about the toolkit in advance of the informational sessions, or about any of the other CWCOG programs, reach out to agency staff at (360) 577-3041.